A Faux Heart Attack
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (128837)
Gainesville, Florida
September 26, 2016 7:00pm CST
Many of you have read my posts and comments about my broken ribs a few weeks back. Last week, as a result of the broken ribs, my doctor thought I had a lacerated spleen, but thankfully it turned out to just be swollen from being bruised by the ribs, and not actually lacerated.
One interesting thing I learned from having a swollen spleen is about the path various nerves take through your body. I had been having chest pains for about the past two weeks, the kind of pain that starts in your chest and radiates out through your left arm. Yes, the classic symptom of a heart attack!
But it turns out, that one of the main nerves that runs up through your torso and out to your left arm originates at the base of the spine. That particular nerve runs right alongside your spleen, and a classic symptom of a spleen injury is chest pains and arm/shoulder pain. But it's nothing more than the spleen bumping up against the nerve.
I had quite a scare for a little while there, thinking my ticker was giving me problems. But doc did a thorough examination of my heart and arteries and found that I am in great health in that department.
So, even though I can still feel the pain for now, I don't have to freak out anymore over my faux heart attack symptoms! lol
Have you ever had a medical issues that you thought was something serious, but turned out to be something completely different?
8 people like this
7 responses
@annaroselock (805)
• United Kingdom
14 Oct 16
Oh Jeff, I didn't realise this. Hope you're feeling better now
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Oct 16
I am feeling much better Anna. Thank you! I go back to the doctor next Wednesday for my final checkup on my ribs. They should be healed enough for the doctor to release me from all restrictions on activity. I think I'll go skydiving next weekend! Want to join me?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Oct 16
@annaroselock You wouldn't do it! You'd chicken out on me! You'd wait until I jumped out of the airplane, and then you would say you were too scared, and I'd be all by myself out there plummeting to the earth!
1 person likes this
@annaroselock (805)
• United Kingdom
14 Oct 16
@moffittjc Haha awesome! Yeah let's go!
1 person likes this

@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Oct 16
I keep bugging my doctor about it, so eventually he is going to cave in and order a battery of tests on me! He'll get so tired of hearing me complain about it that he'll finally give me what I want! lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Oct 16
@JudyEv No way, I would never call myself that! Never in a million years!!! It's unthinkable! Unimaginable! Preposterous!
Wait...what does that word mean?
Hahaha
@JudyEv (382115)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 Oct 16
@moffittjc Maybe you're just 'hypochondriacical'!! 

1 person likes this

@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
27 Sep 16
yes heart burn severe they sent me to er and it w as not a heart attack bu plain painful heart burn the severe one plus a uti that I did not even know i had so was on anti biotix for bladdeer infection and a digestant for the heart burn an so I had a w240 dollar ambuilance fee to pa y lol but good I went as I did not know I had a bladder infection a severe one tolo
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Sep 16
I've heard that people have had heartburn so bad that they thought they were having a heart attack. That's got to be some pretty bad heartburn to make a person feel like they're dying!
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
27 Sep 16
@moffittjc my prob lem is I am in a retirement center and they refused to accept that i was sure it was just heart burn so I was made to let an ambulance takeme tlo te er where they found it was not a heart attack and that i was also suffering frm bladder infection so guess it was good that I went
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Sep 16
@Hatley Yeah, it was a good thing you went! Otherwise, they might not have found the bladder infection.
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
27 Sep 16
I had a good sized knot on my wrist last year and was a bit concerned, but my doc says it is only a harmless cyst.

@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Sep 16
@JamesHxstatic Addictions are a mighty burden to carry around.
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
27 Sep 16
By the way, glad the ticker is okay.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
27 Sep 16
@moffittjc Too bad people just keep on smoking until it gets them.
1 person likes this

@JESSY3236 (22245)
• United States
27 Sep 16
I had chest and shoulder pain before too and it turned out that it's probably from me sleeping wrong. But my best-friend had posted on facebook saying her father did have a heart attack and is in hospital. 

1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Sep 16
A heart attack is what killed my father several weeks ago. But my doctor has run numerous tests on my heart and he says I'm as healthy as a horse!
Which I think is weird to say that expression, because don't horses get sick too?
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40230)
• United States
28 Sep 16
I am happy to hear that it wasn't related to heart. I once had inflammation of tissue in the sternum, felt like sharp chest pain. Easily solved problem - take an Advil
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
27 Sep 16
I had those same chest pains for a while back several years ago. The doctor gave me a 'think I know what is causing this' diagnosis. What he 'thought' never added up for me and I did not take the medication he prescribed for what he 'thought' it was. My ticker was also in excellent health. So when I get those pains, I know it isn't my heart.






